Pumpkin curry / Kumbala curry is a delicious side dish from Coorg. The season was so perfect as markets are filled with different varieties of pumpkins. They tempted me & bought few home to experiment this curry. This curry is sweet, tangy & spicy at the same time with a finger licking taste. Even though the author suggested it is best to pair with akki roti, we enjoyed this curry with rice for lunch & it was just yum. I used two different variety pumpkins & hence you can see the slight color difference in the curry. Finally I can say that you will love this curry & sure will be in your to make recipe list.

Adapted from here & here.Prep Time -10minsCook Time-20minsServes-2peoplePairs with rice, akki roti{as mentioned by original author} & chapati.Ingredients2Cups bite size chopped pumpkin pieces1/2Tsp turmeric2Tsp tamarind pulp1Tsp jaggery1Cup waterFor Seasoning 3Tsp oil1Tsp mustard seeds2Red chili'sFew curry leavesSalt to tasteTo Grind 1/2Cup grated coconut1Tsp coriander seeds1Tsp jeera/cumin4Red chili'sDirections- Dry roast coriander, jeera & red chili's to light brown in color. Allow it to cool & grind them along with coconut to smooth powder.- Heat pan with oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves & red chili's. Once the mustard starts jumping add in pumpkin pieces & turmeric to pan. Close with a lid & cook for 10mins till the pumpkin pieces are cooked.- Add in tamarind pulp, salt & jaggery. Mix them well.- Add in the coconut mixture along with water to it. Cook on low heat till the water evaporates & mean while adjust the taste if needed.- Pumpkin curry is ready to serve.Note - You can omit adding tamarind & jaggery to the curry. But adding them will definitely enhance the flavor.- Add in 2minced garlic cloves while seasoning the curry. I omitted it to make no onion no garlic dish.

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Palya is a Karnataka style side dish. This curry is easy to make & taste delicious with the blend of ingredients we use in making them. I'm sharing Udupi brahmin style palya here. It's little different from the other palya's I make, but the taste was tempting & we loved it. I love to mix & match veggies when making palya's, but you can just go with single veggie at a time. Green beans, cabbage, carrots, cluster beans, Ivy gourds are my favorite veggies & love to make comforting palya with them. Enjoy this comforting no onion no garlic dish.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Sukka is a Mangalorean side dish. This dish is a blend of dal, spices & coconut mixture. In my research for a Mangalorean dish I discovered that Sukka is mainly a non-vegetarian dish & has different versions too. The version I tried is very similar to the curry I use to have in Bangalore restaurants. At that time for me any curry that is sprinkled generously with coconut was a palya & nothing else. Eventually when food blogging became part of my life I was enlightened with all the different versions of them. I came across two versions of this recipe & tried to re create the dish with my sweet memories from Bangalore. I like to grate carrots & beetroots as they cook fast rather than when they are chopped. I'm against to boiling vegetables as they loose the nutritional values so went a head with grated beetroots as they cook fast, but you can use chopped pieces to make this curry. This curry is comforting & delicious. You would love to make it many more times for sure. Enjoy!!!

Monday, December 15, 2014

Parfait is one of my favorite desserts & it tastes delicious to me when made with yogurt. It gives me a satisfaction of eating healthy when I make it with yogurt rather than cream. I love pairing yogurt with different fruits & enjoy the goodness of them. Specifically the non-fat yogurt's are little sour in taste, will pair perfectly with fruits that are sweet. The mixed fruit parfait I'm sharing consists of simple ingredients like fruits, almonds, honey & Chobani non-fat greek yogurt. You can use any fruit in making this dessert or can go with your seasonal favorite fruit & enjoy it.

Prep Time-10minsServes-2PeopleIngredients1Cup Chobani non-fat greek yogurt whisked to smooth consistency1Whole tangerine / mandarin orange skin peeled & sliced to bite size pieces1/2Cup pomegranate seeds2Tbs honey 2Tbs sliced almonds Arranging Parfait - In a bowl add a spoon full of yogurt. - Top it with oranges & little honey. - Layer it with yogurt & top it with pomegranate seeds. - Again layer it with yogurt & top with almonds. Drizzle some honey on top. - Parfait is ready to eat.Note- You can arrange the layers, as you like. - If needed chill before serving.

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Monday, December 8, 2014

Pakoras/Fritters are a easy to make snack. With a mix of few simple ingredients you can make any kind of pakora in minutes. You can use you choice of veggies in making pakoras. Onion pakora, aloo pakora, plantain pakora, eggplant pakora & few more are the most common one's. But you don't have to limit them just to veggies & can sure enjoy them with paneer, tofu or any choice of your meat too.I made these paneer pakoras as a evening snack & they turned out to be awesome. The spices & lemon juice sure make this pakora's tempting. Pakora's don't need any side chutneys, but if you want you can enjoy them with ketch up, green chutney or any side dip of you choice. For this week theme on BM we are showcasing "North Indian Party Starters". I'm starting this marathon with "Paneer Tikka" recipe. Enjoy the dishes & don't miss the update. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 47.

Prep Time-10mins Cook Time-15mins Serves-4people Ingredients 20Bite size paneer pieces Oil for deep fryingFor Batter3Tbs gram flour 1&1/2Tbs rice flour3Tbs water 1/2Tsp lemon juice2Tsp chili powder {adjust as needed}2Tsp ginger garlic paste 1Tsp coriander powder 2Drops red food colorSalt to taste Directions - In a bowl take all the batter ingredients other than water. Mix them all with 3tbs water to a smooth thick paste. Adjust salt & chili powder if needed.- Heat a deep pan with oil. Add a drop of batter & it should lift back immediately. Oil is ready for frying.- Roll paneer pieces in the batter & coat them well around with it. - Drop in the batter coated pieces one by one as many as the pan fits. - Fry them on both sides to crisp. Remove pakoras on to a paper towel layered plate. - Add in the next batch off paneer pieces & repeat the same. - Serve them with finely sliced onions & chopped coriander leaves. Note- While frying don't overload the pan with battered pieces. Leave them some space to fry all around. - You can totally skip food color in the batter. Pakora will look dark yellow in color instead of red. - Replace paneer pieces with your choice of veggie to make some delicious pakoras.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014

Green Peas Cutlets are
a easy to make snack or appetizer. They can be served as a party starter or can
be enjoyed as a teatime snack too. Cutlets can
be deep-fried or can be pan-fried, so in this recipe I pan-fried them to keep
them light on tummy with no compromise in taste. So here I'm sharing a simple
recipe for yummy cutlets, which will make your taste buds happy.

Prep Time-30minsCook Time-15minsServes-10Cutlets, 5PeopleIngredients 2Small potatoes 1Big carrot finely chopped 1/2Cup green peas1Onion Finely chopped 3Garlic cloves minced 15Mint leaves chopped 1/4Cup breadcrumbs + 1/4Cup breadcrumbs to coat the patties1Tsp chili powder {adjust as needed}2Tsp garam masala 2Tsp amchur powder Salt to taste 1Tbs oilOil for frying cutlets {pan frying}Directions - Steam boil potatoes. Peel the skin off & keep them
aside.- Heat a pan with 1tbs oil. To that add onions & garlic
mince. Cook them till onions are little soft. - Add in carrots & green peas to pan. Stir them with
onions & cook them on low heat with a closed lid for 10mins. If carrots are
cooked perfectly then switch off heat or cook for few more until carrots are
cooked. Switch off heat & allow them to cool.- In a bowl add potatoes, veggie mix & mint leaves. Smash
them to a smooth paste with no lumps. - Add in 1/4cup breadcrumbs, chili powder, garam masala,
amchur powder & enough salt. Mix them well & balance the salt &
chili powder if needed. Divide the mix in to 10 equal balls. - Take 1/4cup of breadcrumbs in a bowl. Now take a ball of
mix & press it to get a circle shape. Coat it with the breadcrumbs on both
sides. Repeat the same with rest of the balls.- Mean while heat pan with little oil. Place the patties in
frying pan as many as it fits & cook them on each side till they are little
crisp. - Remove them on to a plate & repeat with rest of
them. - Enjoy this cutlets along with ketchup, green chutney, sweet
mango chutney or any of your choice one's.Note- Add in a 1Tsp of cumin coriander powder for much added
flavor. - I used extra hot chili powder, so adjust the chili powder
as needed.- I added the breadcrumbs to make stiff patties.

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